We have finally reached the best month of college football — November.
The NAIA season is coming down to the nitty gritty, and we are getting a clearer picture of who will be making the NAIA Playoffs. Over the next two weeks, we will find out who the conference champions will be.
Conference champions ranked inside the top 20 earn an automatic playoff berth. In these projections, we will break teams in three different categories: Locks, almost in, or on the bubble.
Locks
- 1) Morningside
- 2) Grand View
- 4) Bethel
- 5) Indiana Wesleyan
- 6) Benedictine
- 9) Reinhardt
- 3) Northwestern College
- 7) Marian
- 8) Lindsey Wilson
NOTE: Conference champions in bold
One can bet their house deed on these teams easily making the playoffs and sleeping with no worries. The list features six conference champions and three at-large selections. The three at-large teams have just one loss and all narrowly to their projected conference champions.
Almost In
- 12) College of Idaho
- 11) Saint Xavier
- 14) Keiser
- 17) Avila
These four teams are all projected to win their conferences right now. They are in the “almost in” section, because we believe that if chaos were to happen, it could definitely happen in this category. All four are currently projected to win their conference, which would automatically put them in, given that each win out.
On the Bubble
- Sooner Champion
- Dickinson State
- Bethel (KS)
- Southwestern
- Midland
- Georgetown
- Roosevelt
The remaining top-25 teams qualify as on the bubble. For teams outside of the top 25 with a decent record and ranked opponents remaining, there is a slim chance, but it is does exist. This perfectly describes Webber International. Chaos could happen to the group above, but these are the teams that have to make it happen.
Latest NAIA Coaches Poll Top 25
Featured image courtesy of Morningside athletics
